1. ERA Forum
Roxanne Missingham,
Convenor

2. • Background
• A work in progress
– Partnerships
– visions
• Issues and future directions

3. Background
ERA aims to:
• Deliver access for Australians to quality to
resources through their libraries.
It provides a national approach, managed by
and for all Australian libraries for their
users.

4. From 2003 to here
• Libraries in the Online environment, Senate
Environment, Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts References Committee,
2003
• 4 National Licensing Proposal forums 2004 to 2007
• Agreed to proceed with an 'opt in' approach in
2007
• We are still evolving

5. Electronic Resources Australia offers significant benefits:
• a collaborative purchasing opportunity to provide free
public access to quality information
• Helps libraries to make a significant contribution to
lifelong learning, inspiring creativity and creating
possibilities for a vibrant and creative Australia
• ERA helps Australia’s smaller libraries to offer more to
their users
• it lays foundations for future national resource sharing
resources offered by ERA are authoritative, easy to use
• and available 24/7
• ERA offers opportunities for networking and professional
development

7. ~9 million
Australians have access to ERA products

8. Inquiry into school libraries
and teacher librarians
Recommendation 1
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government partner with
all education authorities to fund the provision of a core set of online database
resources, which are made available to all Australian schools.
Response: Agree to consider. The Australian Government considers there is merit
in exploring options for the provision of a core set of online database resources
to all Australian schools. This recommendation has financial implications for the
Australian Government as well as state and territory governments and would
require the agreement of all parties. Implementation of the recommendation
would need to be considered in light of other budgetary commitments and
priorities.
The Australian Government will consult with state and territory government and
non-government education authorities to determine how this recommendation
might align with other initiatives regarding online resources for schools.

9. A work in progress
• Your input is vital
• Content
• Prices
• Working with vendors
• Future directions

10. Issues
• Library budgets
• Business/purchasing models
• Sustaining our current model
• Considering new models
• More........

11. 2013
• A federal election must be held by 30
November 2013

12. QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION